


The Necessities of Care

by TheWorkoftheHeart



Category: One Piece
Genre: But Only a Little Bit - Freeform, Chopper helps calm him down, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Law has a nightmare, Nightmares, Not Canon Compliant, Platonic Cuddling, Post-Dressrosa, Pre-Zou
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:34:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25770664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWorkoftheHeart/pseuds/TheWorkoftheHeart
Summary: Typically, on nights like these upon the Polar Tang, he’d seek solace in Bepo; the polar bear always welcomed the embrace of his captain, never minding that Law would rub his fur until he found himself asleep once more. It was grounding, and it was welcomed. However, he’d never had a nightmare of this caliber on someone else’s ship, let alone completely separated from his own crew.
Comments: 13
Kudos: 90





	The Necessities of Care

Law’s eyes shot open in an instant, wide and panic-filled as he clawed at the heavy feeling crushing his chest. He could feel the phantom weight of Doflamingo struggling to stab Law’s chest, knees suffocating his stomach, Law’s futile attempts at escaping strong white string as he lay surrounded by the blood of his crew and black feathers stained red. As his eyes refocused, though, he found himself alone; he was laying in a hammock in what he quickly remembered was the Thousand Sunny’s downstairs dining area, illuminated by the blue artificial light of their fish tank. 

He could already tell this nightmare was one of his worst ones. Typically, on nights like these upon the Polar Tang, he’d seek solace in Bepo; the polar bear always welcomed the embrace of his captain, never minding that Law would rub his fur until he found himself asleep once more. It was grounding, and it was welcomed. However, he’d never had a nightmare of this caliber on someone else’s ship, let alone completely separated from his own crew. He needed Bepo now more than ever, but he didn’t have him. 

His mind continued to race, replaying details over and over in his mind until they felt as though they were tattooed to his eyelids. He couldn’t stand to be in this hammock any longer, he decided, before hoisting himself out of its hold and making his way upstairs in search of something he could use as a placeholder for his navigator’s fur texture. 

The ship rocked gently in the waves, anchored on a reef in a small hideaway only a few minutes from their initial path. The rocking was no comfort, though, tossing Law’s mind to dig up memories he didn’t wish to see; he shut his eyes tightly for a moment before wandering the ship in search of some sort of comfort. 

He found it too invasive to wake up the women sleeping aboard (though, he presumed, if anyone were to have faux furs it would be one of them) and too risky to awaken the half-dozen men as well. He was too anxious to face a sword in his face, or Luffy’s overwhelming personality, or anything of that nature. He cursed softly to himself as he passed the men’s dormitory, trying to get his mind off of his nightmares. 

If Black Leg were here, he’d have taken the risk of awakening them, solely so he could get a couple of cigarettes. 

His hands trembled as he began making his way towards the infirmary, hoping there’d be some kind of cloth or towel or discarded coat he could snatch for the time being. However, when his fingers laced the door handle, it just slid out of his hands; Chopper stood there instead, standing on his rolling chair, not expecting the sudden company. 

“Torao!” Chopper exclaimed, something a touch too loud and yet ever-silent, ever-mindful of the sleeping passengers. “Are you okay? What brings you here? Does your arm hurt?”

Law grazed a hand over his reattached arm; dammit, he forgot Chopper was leaving the next morning for Zou. The doctor had opted to stay behind with the others in Dressrosa in an attempt to aid them if anyone were to be hurt, which appeared to be quite the necessity. He would be leaving the next morning, though, having been given a piece of the in-use vivre card to help him get there quickly. Chopper must have been awake packing his things. 

In a response to Chopper’s question, he just grunted, not really wanting to explain his current plight. Explaining it felt vulnerable, and he’d be read like a damn book if he said what he was looking for. Instead, he slipped in through the now-opened door, hoping to find something akin to Bepo’s fur to hold him over for the night. 

Chopper made a surprised sound at Law’s unexpected entry, shutting the door and moving his chair closer to his desk. “Torao? Do you need anything?” he repeated, and this time Law ignored it. He was mindful of materials that needed to remain sterile as he moved his hands around the cupboards, becoming increasingly frustrated and anxious when he found nothing. 

He’d never been away from his crew after nightmares like this. They still felt so real. He could feel bullets piercing his chest, could hear them as they shattered against Corazon’s torso and blew into the chest behind him, could see the bodies of his lifeless crew in the corners of his vision—

Law just ran a hand through his hair, now realizing he had forgotten his hat in the dining hall. To hell with it, it didn’t matter right now. 

Chopper seemed to sense his nerves, and reached over his desk for a couple of vials, pills, syringes. “I have sleeping aids, if you want those,” came his offer. Law looked over to him and saw him pouring a few oval-shaped capsules into his hooves. “They’re pretty strong. The crew uses them sometimes, even me. It’ll put you out until breakfast.”

Law just shook his head. He didn’t trust Chopper on a deep enough level to explain his plight, but he figured that as a fellow doctor, he’d know what sorts of information needed to be kept private. It felt childish when the words finally came to him, but he spoke them anyways. 

“Is there… Do you have faux fur on board anywhere? Perhaps a faux bear pelt?”

Chopper gave a look that acknowledged the depth of the request immediately, but there was no judgement. Instead, Chopper tried to think of an answer— he’d seen Robin and Nami in soft coats before, but when he’d felt them, it was definitely a silky fabric that had been frayed, not some kind of fur. He couldn’t think of anything the other crew members would’ve owned, nor anything on the ship. 

Sighing, Chopper shook his head. “I’m sorry, there’s no fur on board other than my own.”

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Chopper realized he may have just found a solution. He figured he knew the answer, though; even in his unconsciousness, Law was averse to unfamiliar touch, instinct pulling him away from hands he couldn’t recognize in immediacy. Still, though, he figured it would be good to make the offer. 

Not quite knowing how to word the question, Chopper held his arms out to Law. Law gave him a confused look that quickly flashed into surprise, perhaps a little embarrassment. Compared to Bepo, Chopper was about the size of a stuffed animal; hell, even then. 

All his mind had to do was replay the broken screams of his crew, replay Doflamingo’s laughter, for Law to quickly accept the invitation for a hug. 

As soon as he had Chopper in his embrace, he felt the doctor’s fur; a little rough and unkempt in some places, warm to the touch, fluffy and thick from a lack of a proper trim. With his eyes closed, he could almost convince himself it was Bepo. Almost. 

Law heaved a heavy sigh of relief, sitting back on one of the cots in the medical wing and cradling Chopper in his arms. Chopper giggled a bit in the embrace, happy that his solution seemed to work so quickly. 

“Do you want me to talk to you, Torao?” Chopper offered, but when Law simply hummed in reply, Chopper took it as a no. He pressed his head into Law’s chest, allowing his antlers to rest comfortably between the crook of Law’s arm and his abdomen, so that the surgeon could focus solely on the texture of the fur on his head and back. 

It was definitely a vulnerable feeling, being cuddled up to someone he’d simply formed an alliance with, and on top of that, a member of the crew he hardly knew at all. Regardless, feeling the fur and hearing the muted sounds of the ocean from where he sat reminded him of being on the Tang, reminded him of the many late nights where he’d slip into Bepo’s quarters and curl up against his stomach with tears in his eyes. 

This was still different, though. This was Chopper, perhaps one of the youngest pirates he’d ever seen. Chopper, who’d seen the vulnerability of one of the most notoriously vicious captains in the Grand Line and accepted it without judgement— who had accepted it as though needing comfort was just a necessity of his medical care. Chopper, who worked hours over Luffy and Law upon their immediate departure from Dressrosa, despite both being able to walk around just fine. Chopper, who hardly came up to Law’s knees. 

Chopper, his ally. For once, he welcomed the embrace of someone unfamiliar. 

Law could feel his eyelids growing heavier, focusing his mind on Chopper’s absentminded humming instead of the violent imagery his brain tried to replay. His hands ran carefully through the fur on the back of Chopper’s head, slower, slower, before finally stopping, slipping into unconsciousness as he held the doctor in his arms. 

Though he never told Chopper the following morning, Law’s sleep was peaceful and dreamless.

**Author's Note:**

> if you liked this, follow me on Twitter @hanahana_no__mi! thank you!


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